The Open 2011: Tiger Woods's injury looks worse than first thought

The mechanics of the swing mean it’s pretty common for golfers to suffer from
a sore knee on the side that takes the load on the follow-through, but it’s
rare for that to become a serious problem.

Pained: Tiger Woods has been forced to withdraw from the OpenPhoto: AP

By Stephen Cannon

9:59PM BST 05 Jul 2011

Certainly, it’s unusual for medial ligament issues to prevent a golfer from taking part in his sport.

In this case, the detail in the description of the injury suggests that Tiger Woods is suffering the consequences of previous problems within the joint.

Woods suffered a Grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon while hitting an awkward second shot from the pine straw under the Eisenhower Tree, beside the 17th fairway at Augusta, during the third round of the Masters.

He has undergone work on his anterior cruciate ligament in the past, and the fact he has now had several operations on his knee suggests there has been a lot of wear inside it.

The operations themselves rarely cause any damage. Nowadays, knee surgery is generally preceded by a scan, so there’s no question of work being carried out when it is unnecessary. You only go in there if you have to, never on a speculative basis.

That Woods has been suffering continuing symptoms suggests that he has continuing problems, possibly more serious than has been suggested in the past. The usual period of rest is about six weeks. The fact he has been out of action for longer than that isn’t good news.

Mr Stephen Cannon is a knee surgeon at the, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore